County sheriff candidate calls noise complaints a ruse

Crawford: Businessman is undermining run vs. Arpaio

by Ofelia Madrid - Jun. 9, 2011 12:00 AMThe Arizona Republic

A Scottsdale police commander, who is running for Maricopa County sheriff in 2012, says a Scottsdale business owner's complaints that he is being ignored by police are an attempt to undermine the commander's campaign against Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Bill Crawford, who owns Basic Training, a personal-training gym, said he has asked Arpaio to step in and help with noise and other complaints near Scottsdale's downtown area because he is exasperated with Scottsdale police, specifically Watch Commander Mike Stauffer, a 28-year police veteran. Crawford has organized a group calling for more enforcement in the area.

Arpaio is scheduled to speak to the citizens group today about the problems.

Stauffer has announced his intention to run for sheriff in 2012 as a Republican. He oversees patrols in the downtown district during the day. Crawford's complaints stem from the nightclubs around his business at Camelback and Miller roads. He said police aren't enforcing Scottsdale's noise and parking ordinances.

A recently passed noise ordinance doesn't apply to complaints from businesses or residents who are within the downtown district, such as Crawford, Stauffer said.

The only way police can enforce a noise complaint in the district is to charge someone with disorderly conduct. The noise ordinance adopted last year applies to complaints from businesses or residents who are outside the downtown area but hear noise generated from within the downtown district's boundaries.

Stauffer's campaign manager recently said Crawford, who is a member of Arpaio's Sheriff's Posse, is complaining about Scottsdale police to embarrass Stauffer and promote Arpaio.

Crawford said he has been petitioning the Police Department for several years.

"I went to the Sheriff's Office because I knew that they were the supreme law-enforcement agency for Maricopa County," Crawford said. "That's my right to do that, and because I am on the posse, because I happen to have a contact to the sheriff, it made that route a little bit easier for me to take."

Arpaio said he intends to seek a sixth term next year if he doesn't run for Sen. Jon Kyl's seat. He said his Scottsdale visit is a response to a citizen request.

"It has nothing to do with who supports me or because Crawford is part of my posse. I probably have people on my posse who don't like me," Arpaio said.

Arpaio said he received about 100 letters about the Scottsdale problems, not just from Crawford. The sheriff said he doesn't plan to send deputies in for noise violations, but he might hold a crime-suppression sweep in the area.

Stauffer, who said he has been considering a run for sheriff since 2008, said he's not afraid of Arpaio's tactics. "He can bring it on," Stauffer said. "I'm not afraid of him. He doesn't intimidate me."

Stauffer has a conflict of interest, Crawford contends.

"I know that he, as a candidate for sheriff, should not be presiding over the law-enforcement directives in the downtown Scottsdale area," he said.